Kodi boxes may well be top of some people’s Christmas list again this year.

However, when the streaming devices are sold ‘pre-loaded’ with software to allow users to access pay-per-view content, they are illegal - and many authorities and organisations are working on stamping out their use.

But is the crackdown working?

Kieron Sharp, the chief executive with the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT), spoke about the battle against modern day piracy.

As Kodi boxes grew in popularity last year, one trader, Brian Thompson, from Middlesbrough, denied wrongdoing when charged with selling the boxes - and advertising products to circumvent technological measures.

That stance set up the possibility of a landmark court case which could have tested the legality of kodi boxes - with many pointing to a legal ‘grey area’ over the devices.

Brian Thompson, 55, leaving Teesside Crown Court (Image: PA)

He eventually pleaded guilty and was given a suspended sentence.

Mr Sharp, who has been with FACT for 11 years, said that before the conclusion of the Teesside Crown Court case other prosecutions had already been secured.

He said: “He was not the first, but I think what made the case stand out is that he said he was going to fight it.

“But he obviously pleaded guilty and I think he’d had advice, it was in his best interest to do so.”

And addressing the law around their use, Mr Sharp continued: “There is no grey area really. These devices are a gateway to the internet for streaming, and when they’re pre-loaded people know what they’re buying.

“Of course, to get one without the software to stream illegally, it would let you watch BBC iPlayer through it which would be legal - but what would be the point in that? Nobody is buying it for those purposes.

“I can understand why people might want to say it is a grey area, but the reality is that pay per view TV is a 25-year-old concept that people are quite used to.

“I think there’s a level of wilful blindness.”

A Kodi box often used for illegal streaming (Image: Handout)

Are authorities winning the battle?

Mr Sharp said: “I think there’s such a lot of opportunities for people to watch streamed content that to say we are winning the battle is a stretch.

“Hopefully, there’s a deterrent out there with the court cases now.

“But I stress that we’re still looking at those people importing them, at the high end, distributing these devices. The middle level dealers, like Thompson, we’ll still go after them too,”

It’s estimated there’s been one million devices sold and they’re still popular, but online forums have spoken of the difficulty of finding streams, especially for live football, while many add-ons have stopped working over the past six months.

The Premier League won a court order to block streams of its games in March this year at the source, and that appears to be working.

Mr Sharp added: “I think I can safely say that many fewer people are watching live football illegally due to the Premier League blocking the stream. There is clear evidence from the Premier League that it is working and making an impact.”

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But are users being targeted?

As well as FACT, which protects those who pay for rights to legally screen sport, TV and films, the police and trading standards are also working to bring those who distribute and sell illegal streaming devices to justice.

FACT says that without customers paying subscription fees, especially the eye-watering high fees paid to broadcast live Premier League football, the ability of companies to keep producing and paying for content will erode.

“It’s not something you crack down on and it just stops,” continued Mr Sharp, who said it’s “very difficult to tell” how many people use the devices.

A person using a Kodi box

But it’s not those with the devices in their home being targeted. As outlined in the past, organised crime is known to be involved in the sale of the devices.

“The involvement of organised crime makes it much easier to get trading standards and especially police to investigate, making FACT’s job easier,” continued Mr Sharp.

“When there’s a lot of money in something it’s inevitable organised crime will get involved. There’s clear evidence of it.

“That’s got to be very worrying for people buying them, knowing where their money is going.”

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What does the future hold?

Mr Sharp said in his 11 years at FACT, it has gone from investigating pirated DVDs to tackling those who stream illegally. In short, technology moves on.

“Those making these apps and add-ons are trying their best to get round it, and that’s what we’ve got to work on. It’s as important, trying to keep on top of how this technology will develop, so we can prevent it.

“Things have changed from a physical product, and we’re working hard to keep up,” he continued.